The Hidden Gems Podcast (Classic Tales & Original Short Stories)

On your gravestone, what words will your loved ones use to describe you? Will you be able to defend those words to your eternal companion, the ever-sarcastic Death?  Thank you for listening to The Hidden Gems Podcast, which is dedicated to bringing you the best short stories you've never heard. If you liked this story, you can find more of C. Mack Lewis's writing at https://cmacklewis.com John Bel...

Dog lovers beware! We all know it's a cat's world, but what happens when our hero discovers it's a cat's afterworld?  God's Meow was written by C. Mack Lewis . You can find C. Mack's books at https://cmacklewis.com/ C.Mack's audiobooks can be found on audible.com You can request C. Mack's books and audiobooks from your local library.  John Bell is our wonderful narrator and he is also the writer,...

Join us for this supernatural horror tale as Our Hero and The Swede paddle up the Danube where they are stranded on a quickly eroding island full of willows that seem alive with creatures from another dimension.  Algernon Blackwood's novella "The Willows" was published in 1907 in "The Listener and Other Stories." H.P. Lovecraft considered it "one of the finest supernatural tales in English literat...

On a Halloween dare, a little girl kicks a gravestone and then must deal with the consequences. Truth or fiction? You decide.   For more about this and other hauntings, listen to "The Cost of Seeing Ghosts" at Midnight Balloon.com Thank you for listening to The Hidden Gems Podcast, which is dedicated to bringing you the best short stories you've never heard. If you liked this story, you can find m...

Most of us live rather small and quiet lives, which has its own special charm. But what happens if you are Oppenheimer, the builder of the atomic bomb, knowing that you are responsible for the deaths of thousands of people? Is it possible to go back in time and make other choices? Perhaps, but there are always consequences.   Bill Adler is an American writer living in Japan. He writes speculative...

We've all had our hearts broken, just as we are all guilty of breaking someone else's heart. Think back and examine your own history. Agnes Keith-Wessington pursued Jack in her rickshaw, but who would be haunting you and in what type of vehicle would they be pursuing you?   For more information, check out this article by David Barber: Who Was Kipling? A sampling of writing from The Atlantic 's pas...

Lions, and Tigers, and...Otters?  Hector Hugh Monru (1870-1916) chose his pseudonym "Saki" after a fictional character who was a cupbearer who was on a "joyous errand" to serve wine to guests in Omar Khayyám's Rubáiyát .  For more information about Saki, check out these articles: Untameable Saki - One hundred years after Saki's death in the Great War, his stories are still wickedly funny. Written...

The Hidden Gems Podcast is deeply honored to be featuring a short story written by the internationally acclaimed artist, Rick Levinson!    Rick Levinson's Artist Statment: Stories. Real and Imagined. With Pictures. At the basis of all of my art there are stories. They combine my actual life experiences, voluntarily imagined ones, and sometimes simply my unfiltered dreams. I have never believed tha...

Anton Chekhov was a physician, playwright, and master of the art of the short story. For more information, check out this wonderful article on Anton Chekhov: https://newrepublic.com/article/170133/vast-humanity-anton-chekhov-blaisdell-biography-review John Bell is our  was our narrator and he is also the writer, producer, and actor on "Bell's in the Batfry" podcast, which can be found at: [ http:/...

When their gender-questioning granddaughter comes home from college spouting all sorts of new words and terms, Sally Rae and her loving husband of 56 years have a talk that just might change their lives.  Thank you for listening to The Hidden Gems Podcast, which is dedicated to bringing you the best short stories that you've never heard. For more short stories on The Hidden Gems Podcast, please go...

If you could peer inside the souls of all your loved ones and learn their hidden mysteries, would you choose to do so? If the answer is yes, this story is for you!  Born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Hawthorne was best known for his novels 'The Scarlet Letter' in 1850 and 'The House of Seven Gables' in 1851. Talk about a writer with family drama! He changed his name from Hathorne to H...

Spring break isn't simply a journey filled with sweet anticipation and new friends! It's also about learning to love tacky Christmas cards and getting a fresh perspective on family, love, and acceptance.  Join Cathy McCarthy as she features the short story, Spring Break , written by Lorraine Murphy.   Lorraine was raised in Jamaica Queens and has been living in Northport Long Island for over thirt...

Have you ever wondered why your reclusive sibling never invites you over or comes to visit? Ride along as our intrepid Hero delves into this mystery and undergoes trial by fire and is reborn into a new world of understanding and knowledge.   Today's writer, Leeland Kirwan , is involved in programming, higher math, and pet rats, cats, and dogs. He lives in a house in the woods in Oregon. Lee has wr...

You are formally invited to attend the wedding of - wait!  What? Who killed the bride? Was it the heartbroken groom, the world-weary detective, or the mother-in-law from hell?  Is this a love story? A horror story? Or is it just plain fun? You decide.  Thank you for listening to The Hidden Gems Podcast, which is dedicated to bringing you the best short stories that you've never heard. For more sho...

It's just another boring commute on the New York City subway, right? Join us today for this haunting short story by  our newest featured writer, Lorraine Murphy! Join Cathy McCarthy as she features the short story, The Subway Lady , written by Lorraine Murphy.   Lorraine was raised in Jamaica Queens and has been living in Northport Long Island for over thirty with her family. She has completed a f...

“The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.” So begins this classic tale of revenge and murder, written by Edgar Allan Poe.  Edgar Allan Poe is said to be the first American writer who earned a living from his writings, and he is also said to be the "inventor of the detective fiction genre" as well as an important contributor t...

"It was quite by accident I discovered this incredible invasion of Earth by lifeforms from another planet." So begins this gem of a short story written by the master of sci-fi dystopian fiction, Philip K. Dick.   Philip K.Dick  was born in 1928 in Chicago, but he grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. Throughout his career, he wrote 33 novels and 121 short stories and he had almost no commercial s...

Did you ever wonder who is working behind the scenes to create the many sugary delicacies which are our annual expressions of undying love - or perhaps even temporary passion - for Valentine's Day?  Meet Natalie.  Join Cathy McCarthy as she features the short stories, Mise En Place , written by Nathan Douglas Hansen. Nathan began his writing career in the Southwest, working as a feature writer and...

What happens when the Hunter becomes the hunted? Join us today for Richard Connell's classic short story "The Most Dangerous Game!" Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" and published in 1924 in The Saturday Evening Post and was adapted into a film of the same name in 1932, starring Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, and Leslie Banks. He began his writing career when he was 13 years old when he covered...

 What does a traditional Christmas have in common with a Naked-Mole-Rat-Implosion, magnetic putty underwear, and the vixen-robbers of Lordia-Taver?  Find out as our intrepid hero scrambles to create the best Christmas ever! Thank you for listening to The Hidden Gems Podcast, which is dedicated to bringing you the best short stories that you've never heard. For more short stories on The Hidden Gems...

What exactly is Moses willing to sacrifice to keep his promise? Why is Daniel's wife suddenly so nervous? And since when do God and the Devil hang out?  Will this short story answer those age-old questions about the meaning of life, or will it only leave you with more questions? Either way, I hope it will give you an entertaining respite from banalities. Cheers!   Thank you for listening to The Hi...

Lawanda goes nose-to-snout with the Big, Bad Wolf - with unexpected results!   Thank you for listening to The Hidden Gems Podcast, which is dedicated to bringing you the best short stories that you've never heard. For more short stories on The Hidden Gems Podcast, please go to: https://www.thehiddengemspodcast.com/podcast  If you liked what you liked this story, you can find more of C. Mack Lewis'...

Join us for a short story as we take a walk on the Bolivar Peninsula in Texas with our friend John Bell.  John Bell is also the producer, writer, and talent on his own podcast, which is called Bell’s in the Batfry , which can be found online. It is a delightful and family-friendly mix of -  in the words of John Bell, “comedy, satire, oddness, songs, and just plain wackiness.” I can promise you tha...

Our heroine just signed a 6-month contract to lease a condo at a ridiculously low price. What could possibly go wrong?  Thank you for listening to The Hidden Gems Podcast! For more short stories on The Hidden Gems Podcast, please go to: https://www.thehiddengemspodcast.com/podcast  If you liked what you liked this story, you can find more of C. Mack Lewis's writing at https://cmacklewis.com/ For a...

Four women from different backgrounds describe old-time home remedies, including how to dodge the Civil War draft, how to outsmart the bloodhounds, and how to kick a Morphine habit.  Margaret McCarthy is a retired Registered Nurse living in Scottsdale, Arizona. She earned a BA in school nursing and health education and an MBA. One of the goals of this paper is  to "appreciate and better understand...